After signing from Eintracht Frankfurt in her native Germany in the summer of 2023, Nusken made her first Champions League outing for Chelsea away to Real Madrid in November.

She started the group stage fixture – which finished as a controversial 2-2 draw – but her moment of realisation came before a ball was even kicked in the Spanish capital.

‘I remember being told before the game in the changing room: “Now, you play with the big guys!”’, explains Nusken in an exclusive interview reflecting on her first campaign. ‘I really remember that sentence.

‘It was not the best result with it ending 2-2 but it was a good game. It was a feeling that I am in the team and can perform as I want to perform.’

Nusken would enjoy many more Champions League nights in her first season at Chelsea, including scoring a brace at the Johan Cruyff Arena against Ajax in the quarter-final.

And it was in the second leg of our semi-final against Barcelona that Nusken witnessed history.

‘The last game at Stamford Bridge and it was sold out,’ says the German international. ‘It was crazy and the atmosphere was like: “Oh my god.” It made me feel like I was here, I play for Chelsea and this is a dream come true.’

The 2023/24 campaign was Nusken’s first season in England and it did not take long for her to hit the ground running.

She scored 13 times across all competitions – eight in the Women’s Super League, two in the Champions League, two in the Continental Cup and one in the FA Cup – but offered so much more to the team than goals and assists.

Her versatility was praised as she featured in a number of positions across the pitch, and Nusken was happy to do what she could to help the team.

‘It is good to play in different positions,’ says Nusken. ‘I enjoy every minute on the pitch and it doesn’t matter what position. I do like to play in the number eight. I want to play forwards, do assist, and score goals. This is what I want to do.’

Nusken undoubtedly played her part in Chelsea’s success during her first season at the club with her final goal of the campaign coming in our title-deciding win against Manchester United. And the German hopes this is just the beginning of a successful career in Blue.

‘We want to achieve a lot,’ adds Nusken. ‘This is what I would say we want to do. We want to do the game how we want to play. We want to dictate it.’

With her first season at Chelsea under her belt and a first piece of silverware claimed, Nusken’s focus will soon turn to her national team.

First up is a European Championship qualifying double-header against Poland, with Nusken currently in camp for those fixtures, before another round of qualifiers in mid-July. There will also be the small matter of an Olympics.

‘I have a good feeling about the summer,’ says Nusken. ‘It’s nice to play in the Olympics, but before this I want to go and enjoy time with my family when I can.

‘It can sometimes hard to be far away from the family, but they came here to visit and I saw them before the international break when I was in Germany.’